Sharing our food successes and failures, new recipes and old favorites...and throwing in some great money-saving deals here and there!

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About Me

I'm a stay-at-home mom to Lindsay (born 12/21/06), Luke (born 5/25/09) and Jakob (5/13/12). My husband (lovingly referred to as "the boy") and I have been married since 06/05/04. While not tethered to my computer, I'm either playing with the kiddos, running, working out, reading, or enjoying a glass of wine.

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Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Yep, I know - another 4+ months have passed since the last post. I can definitely use pregnancy, labor and recovery as an excuse! Jakob Steaven Risser was born May 13 (Mother's Day!) and is as perfect as they come. Here he is about 2 weeks old - cute, huh?

We've been lucky enough to have another round of meals provided by the MOMS Club, but now that they are winding down I have to go back to cooking. I still have some pregnancy weight to lose and with all of the fresh fruits and vegetables available over the summer, no better way to attack the weight loss with a little bit of healthy eating, as well as some cross-fit training sessions from a good friend (a totally tough broad!). I stocked up on lots from Wegmans this week - corn, asparagus, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, carrots, peppers...and we picked a nice crop of green beans from our garden. Speaking of which, we're growing red and green peppers, jalapeno peppers, zucchini, beans and corn - yep, corn! We have four stalks planted, so we'll see how that works out. Hoping to do some major expansion next year and get some fruits planted (and fenced so the critters stay out), but for now, this is just enough.

This morning the baby was especially cooperative and the kids were entertained enough with the trampoline, Wii Just Dance Kids, and general goofing around, so I had at it. I made red quinoa-avacado salad, crab and asparagus quiche and strawberry soup. I spent a couple hours cooking peacefully which almost rarely happens! I may need to start prepping meals in the morning if it's always that easy. The "witching hour(s)" hits our house around 5 p.m. and lasts until bed time. Never easy to juggle all of the melt downs with meal preparation...practically impossible!

I was a little nervous about the salad and soup since I've never made either, but all the ingredients seemed like things that would work well together and taste good, so what the hell?! And boy-oh-boy did they ever work! No one else will eat the quinoa (which is fine...I'm happy to tackle that on my own), but the quiche is a fan-favorite and the soup seemed to be a hit, too. We're still struggling with Luke on eating things other than mac-n-cheese, hot dogs, nuggets, etc., but he's improving. He loves hummus and is slowly coming around to trying new things. I can't remember how old Linds was when she started eating "for real," but I'm sure Luke will come around soon enough.

Saturday, February 11, 2012

The kiddos begged for pancakes this morning, and I have to admit - I'm a sucker for tons of warm pancakes, loaded with maple syrup and butter on a cold, snowy day. It all just seems to fit together. Instead of wimping out with my Bisquick batch, I made them from scratch - and they were delish! This made about a dozen or so.

Friday, February 10, 2012

I've been doing a lot of crockpot meals lately - they're so much easier to throw together and have ready in time rather than fighting the clock (and the kiddos) for a decent meal. Everyone eats this one (well, Luke picks at it and takes a few reluctant bites), so we do it every once in awhile. The sodium content has to be out of control, but it's a good way to sneak in some vegetables and I admit I love the mushy biscuits!

I was really excited about this banana bread recipe - it substituted honey and sugar-free applesauce for the brown sugar and oil in a normal recipe, and was made with whole wheat flour. I've been trying to get all of us eating more natural foods, along with more fruits and vegetables, so I thought this was a great recipe to try out.

The end result was decent - although not nearly as sweet and addictive as my other banana bread recipe. It's very moist, though, which was a pleasant surprise. Linds took one bite and refused the rest of the piece, which is highly unlike her, so I have a feeling this may not be a keeper. I'd give it a 6/10 - tastes decent enough to finish the loaf, but not something we're going to be craving anytime soon.

This has been a serious craving of mine throughout the pregnancy. I've had them at Cheeseburger in Paradise and Buffalo Wild Wings, and when I saw the link on Pinterest for homemade fried pickles, there was no stopping me! I opted to wait until Superbowl Sunday to make them (perfect game-day treat) and boy were they delish. Linds begged to help, so I let her do the dipping and I dropped them in the pan of oil. It was a huge mess, but well worth it. The picture below doesn't accurately represent the level of messiness, but it's a glimpse of it.

After pretzels and apples on Monday, and S'mores Trail Mix on Wednesday, we decided to make dirt dessert pudding cups for preschool snack on Friday. This was another easy one to make and Linds and Luke helped throughout the entire process. The end result was delicious and after we set aside enough for her class, there were three left. I thought this was perfect since the boy doesn't really do desserts (especially one this juvenile!)...but lo and behold, when I pulled them out last night for dessert, his eyes lit up and he exclaimed, "oh, YES, I love dirt dessert!" Needless to say, I shared half of my pudding cup with my grateful husband :) Lucky for us, too, there were four sent home from school today - so we each got our own tonight.

We garnished ours with a single gummy worm on top (mostly because I managed to eat the rest of the gummy worms over the course of the week we had them in the house and didn't have any extras to mix in with the batter - totally the baby's fault?!). The pudding cups taste much better after sitting overnight in the fridge, but can always be eaten pretty much immediately after making, too.

Lindsay was in charge of snacks for her preschool class this week and we decided to go a little creative with them. I always feel bad - since her birthday is right at Christmas, she usually gets to bring her birthday treat on the same day of the holiday party. Everyone's already filling up on cookies and fudge and all that other holiday goodness, that cake and cupcakes are an afterthought. The fact that "mom guilt" over the pending arrival of our third is settling in doesn't help either. I know when this little guy is born that dividing my attention three ways is going to be tough, so I'm trying to do extra special things with Linds and Luke now just to leave them with happy thoughts before my mind (and time) goes.

So, anyways, we decided to do some theme snacks and the letter they were learning this week was "P." On Monday we brought in individual bags of pretzels and apple slices - big hits with 5 year olds! And on Wednesday, we decided to make a trail mix snack that we've been excited to try - s'mores trail mix. Didn't quite fit in with the theme, but it was probably one of the tastiest treats I've snacked on that a 5 year old would enjoy, too. It was super easy to make - in fact, both of the kids made it for the most part. All they had to do was dump the bags/boxes of stuff into a big bowl and mix it up.

Saturday, February 4, 2012

I was looking to make a veggie pizza for a family gathering this weekend and dug out this recipe - I forgot I had it and I remember enjoying it when it was served at a party we threw awhile ago. Wanted to post it before I forgot where I stored it ;-) The original called for 2 packages of crescent rolls, but I have a TON of the "sauce" spread left, so I increased it to 3 and it possibly could be 4 depending on how heavy you like the "sauce." I don't care for it to be too thick, so I may try 4 next time. Enjoy!

Monday, January 30, 2012

Please forgive me if you’ve read about this ad nauseum on Facebook, or if you’ve heard me go on about it otherwise, but I am officially registered to do the Susan G. Komen 3-Day walk for breast cancer in October! It’s 60 miles in three days and all of the proceeds generated go toward global breast cancer research and local community outreach (screening, educating, treating, etc.). It’s an unbelievably worthy cause, with more than a quarter-million women being diagnosed EVERY YEAR. I’ll be walking with a team of more than a dozen women under the team name, “Girls Need Cleavage” (GNC) – because really, we do!

I’ll be doing many different fundraisers throughout the next 8 months to meet my goal of $2,300. While you all have the opportunity to donate to me directly if you are interested, there will also be some opportunities that can be mutually beneficial. My first fundraiser – the one I’m sharing with you about now – is through Tastefully Simple (you know – those delicious dips, breads, and dessert mixes). A friend of mine is a consultant and has offered to donate all of her profits of sales to our team. So, all you need to do is put together an order of any size and you’ll get the great treats of your choice, and I’ll get some help in raising funds. This first leg of the fundraiser will run through the end of February and since the sales ship directly to you, there’s no need for you to be local. And yes, I know this may seem pretty far in advance, but with Baby #3 on his way in just about 3 ½ months, I want to get a leg up on fundraising!

If you'd like to make a purchase, here are the instructions:Go to www.tastefullysimple.com/web/smassey3, click on "Shop Our Products", and select "G.N.C." (first name) "3 Day Walk" (last name) as your "Host/Event" at checkout. Your order will ship right to your door, you'll receive it within 7-10 days.

If you have questions or need assistance with ordering, feel free to contact Sharon Massey, Sr. Consultant, at 610-357-3007 or srmassey@verizon.net. Want to see a catalog? Just contact her with your address and she'll mail one to you.

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Today is day six of my unintentional meat strike. It started on Tuesday when I saw a photo of mechanically separated chicken (that at first looked deliciously like raspberry soft serve ice cream, but I later realized totally was NOT)...and since, the thought of any kind of meat makes my stomach turn. I'm really hoping this is a pregnancy thing because I love buffalo chicken dip, fresh grilled burgers, fettuccine carbonara, and all sorts of other meaty dishes. But, for now, I'm sticking to fish and veggies. It's making for a monstrous inconvenience as far as meals - making one thing for myself, another for the boy and Linds who want "real" food, and Luke not eating anything but mac-n-cheese or some sort of PB and [fill in the blank].

Anyhoo, I decided to do a big pot of alfredo pasta tonight and make things simple. I hadn't tried this exact recipe before, but it's a pretty basic alfredo recipe, so I knew it would be fine. The original calls for heavy cream, which I don't keep on hand just because of the ridiculous amount of calories, cholesterol and saturated fat contents, so I use a 1% millk/flour roux. I saved 700 calories in the dish AND it tastes just as delicious!

Wednesday was burrito night! I had a pound of flank steak sitting in the freezer and before I started my unintentional meat strike (see the Alfredo Sauce post for more about that one), I was hungry for beef burritos. I mixed the marinade and let the beef sit in it for about 12 hours, and then cooked it and the juices in the crockpot all day. It shred easily and was nice and juicy in time for dinner. My burritos wound up being black bean burritos, but nonetheless delicious.

I recommend this beef marinade - definitely tasty according to Scott and Linds!

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

The conversation started innocently enough at the gym...talking about an overly cheesy slow-cooker mac-n-cheese recipe...and I got to thinking I was in the mood for a good homemade bowl of it. Then I jumped onto Facebook yesterday and there on a friend's wall was a post for a bacon mac-n-cheese recipe. I figured if I got it twice in the matter of hours, then it was divine intervention - the gods were telling me that I had to make a batch. And with the exact amount of bacon the recipe calls for in the refrigerator? Well, that just was yet another reason to go for it.

Now, it calls for heavy cream, which I didn't have, so I made my own little roux and hoped for the best. It turned out just as well! Again, not quite the healthiest dish, but damn delicious!

Bring water to a boil. Salt it generously (it should taste like the sea). Stir in the pasta and cook according to the package directions. Drain (but don’t rinse, or you’ll rinse away starches that will help thicken the sauce) and return to the empty pot.

Meanwhile, place a large sauté pan over medium-high heat for several minutes. When hot, add the bacon and sauté until browned and crispy, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and, using a slotted spoon or spatula, remove the bacon from the pan and drain on paper towels.

Pour off the fat from the pan and return the pan to medium-high heat. Add the milk, butter and flour and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Lower the heat to medium and continue to simmer until the cream is reduced slightly, about 3 minutes.

Add the Cheddar cheese and bacon. Stir well and cook over medium-high heat, stirring now and then, until the cheese has melted and the mixture thickens, about 3 minutes. Season with the salt and pepper.

Stir the sauce into the cooked and drained pasta in the pot. Place over medium heat and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes to thicken the sauce and allow the pasta to absorb the flavors, stirring now and then.

Garnish with chives (if you'd like) and try not to eat the entire thing ;-)

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

So, this is definitely NOT a healthy option! If you're looking for something that isn't laden with calories, skip this. It's one dish that I don't make often simply because of the fact that it uses 1/4 cup of straight up butter and 1 and 1/2 cups of heavy cream...but there are peas in it, so it has a glimmer of nutrition buried deep down.

The boy and I love this dish, Linds likes the noodles and peas, and even Luke is coming around - although my little "miva" (man-diva) got a bite that had a little sausage and proceeded to stand at the trash can for a couple minutes spitting it out and whining that it was "NOT NUMMY!" Someday these kids will come around to the awesomeness that is sausage?!?

The whole process should take just about half an hour. The estimated calories per serving is 611 (and this is an 8-serving dish). You can probably make some substitutions to get that number down (anything from cutting back on the amount of sausage to substituting ingredients in the sauce). The end result, however, is tasty...so try it on a splurge night (if you are food obsessed like me and count calories/fat/etc.!)

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Finally made it to the grocery store! About damn time, huh? I always know when it's time to shop because I get cranky when there's no food...and then stressed because I have this marathon list to tackle...and it just gets ugly. In the whole attempt to have a full, nutritious meal, I opted to do corn chowder and whole wheat beer bread. Everything turned out pretty well - it wasn't necessarily the most delicious thing ever, but it tasted good and was super easy to make. Linds helped me with the bread and keeping me company while I chopped the veggies for the soup, so it was a nice bonding experience for us :)

One thing to remember about the chowder...the soup needs at least 15 or 20 minutes to simmer at the end to thicken up. I always forget about this and when it's warmed through I think I screwed up because it's all runny and thin. After 20 minutes, however, the consistency is MUCH better! Between a bowl for the boy, a bowl for myself and a smaller bowl for both kids, the soup was gone - I'd say it's barely 4 servings (although just a little over 200 calories per serving!).

In a large mixing bowl, combine all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, salt and brown sugar. Pour in beer, stir until a stiff batter is formed. It may be necessary to mix dough with your hands. Scrape dough into prepared loaf pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

It's the beginning of a new year, which means I have all sorts of outlandish goals to eat less meat, healthier meals with more fruits and vegetables, keep the kids more active, maintain my dedication to the gym, etc. I know I'm like 99% of the other people out there...these will all last a good week to 10 days before I give up and say, "screw it - it's mashed potatoes and Twizzlers for dinner!" But, for now, I'm going to go back to planning out nutritious meals.

I decided to make chicken veggie burgers tonight - a recipe I came across a long time ago that's chock full of veggies - and in my haste to get a meal on the table for the kids before they melted down, found nothing to pair it with except curly fries. Okay, so half a decent meal is an okay way to start the year, right? RIGHT?!? The boy enjoys these burgers surprisingly enough, Linds didn't mind hers, and after spitting out the first bite, Luke dipped his in ketchup and licked the ketchup off. I don't think he ingested any of the actual burger, but here's hoping he got a nutrient or two in there.